Is mind control possible? Did MK Ultra actually discover anything impressive?

From People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast by Zachary Elwood

March 31, 2026 · 52 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the realities and myths surrounding MK Ultra and mind control with guest Stephen Kinzer.

Did MK Ultra actually accomplish anything impressive in brainwashing- and mind-control-related areas? Did the US government, as some people claim, create "Manchurian candidates," who would kill on command? In this episode, I talk with Stephen Kinzer, author of “Poisoner in Chief,” a book about the head of MK Ultra, Sidney Gottlieb. We discuss the strange, disturbing reality of MK Ultra—and the many exaggerations made about it over the years. While pop culture and deceptive gurus (like Chase Hughes) spread tales of the program achieving amazing and scary psychological control, Kinzer describes a disorganized and amateurish series of experiments that harmed many people but failed to demonstrate anything impressive. We explore why MK Ultra has become a perfect canvas for all sorts of paranoid ideas and wild speculations, and why the lack of evidence of anything approaching actual mind control hasn’t stopped people from confidently claiming otherwise. If you’ve ever wondered what’s real—and what’s myth—about MK Ultra, you'll probably appreciate this talk.Topics discussed: the myths versus the realities of the MK Ultra program; what makes MK Ultra such a perfect case for people to…

People in this episode

Host: Zachary Elwood

Guest: Stephen Kinzer

Topics covered

MK Ultra
mind control
brainwashing
paranoia
government experiments
myths vs. realities

Keywords

MK Ultra
mind control
brainwashing
Sidney Gottlieb
Stephen Kinzer
Operation Mockingbird
paranoia
government experiments

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MK Ultra, Operation Mockingbird